Waterless urinal



y 17, 19 E. B. BLANKENSHEP 3,251,070

WATERLESS URINAL Filed Feb, 10, 1964 I N VEN TOR.

A T TORNE Y ERNEST BA YNE BLANKENSHIP United States Patent O 3,251,070 WATERLESS URINAL Ernest Bayne Blankenship, Irving, Tex. (P.O. Box 35164, Dallas, Tex.) Filed Feb. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 343,820 5 Claims. (Cl. 4-131) This invention relates to incinerator type urinals for use in locations where water supplies are limited, such as on railroad trains, airplanes and buses, on farms or camp sites, or at other places where sewer connections are impossible or impractical. The incinerator urinal of the invention is in some respects related to the incinerator toilet invented by me and Harry A. Bowers, shown and described in Patent No. 3,020,559, dated February 13, 1962.

The invention contemplates an incinerator type urinal which includes a casing having an enclosed compartment in the lower portion thereof and having an upstanding bowl, open on one side, above said compartment, the bowl having a downwardly sloping bottom of inverted cone shape forming the top of saidcompartment and having a short drain tube connected to the bottom of the bowl and forming a downward extension 3,251,070 Patented May 17, 1966 The exemplary form of the invention shown in the drawing includes a casing 10 having an enclosed compartment 11 in the lower portion thereof and having an upstanding bowl 12, open on one side, above said compartment 11. The bowl 12 has a downwardly sloping bottom 13 of inverted cone shape forming the top of said compartment 11, and has a short drain tube 14 connected to the bottom 13 of the bowl 12 and-form- I 18 in the top thereof surrounding said drain tube 14.

. The opening 18 communicates with the interior of the thereof, an insulated enclosed combustion chamber in the lower portion of said compartment in spaced apart relation to the walls thereof, the combustion chamber being electrically heated and having a restricted opening in the top thereof surrounding said drain tube, said opening communicating with the interior of said compartment surrounding the combustion chamber and having the lower end portion of said drain tube received therein, in radially spaced relation thereto, and a vent pipe having a blower therein connected to the top of the combustion chamber and arranged to exhaust combustion gases, vapors, fumes, and odors therefrom.

The invention further contemplates an incinerator type compartment'll surrounding the combustion chamber 15, and has the lower end portion of said drain tube 14 received therein, in radially spaced relation thereto. A vent pipe 19 having a blower 20 therein is con-. nected to the top of the combustion chamber 15 and is arranged to exhaust combustion gases, vapors, fumes and odors.

The combustion chamber 15 may have a short tubular member 21 immediately surrounding said opening I 18 and extending upwardly a short distance above the urinal as described in which the combustion chamber upper end portion of last mentioned tubular member.

An object of the invention is to provide an arrangement as described in which the bowl is positioned a substantial distance above the combustion chamber and fluids collecting in the bowl are positively caused to flow by gravity in a confined stream as they are drained therefrom, while at the same time being forcibly drawn into the combustion chamber, along with any fluids which may collect in said compartment exteriorly of the combustion chamber, by differences in pressure above and below said opening.

An advantageous feature of the invention is that fluids, liquid or gaseous, which collect in the bowl are immediately and forcibly ejected therefrom, whereby they are disposed of, while at the same time the bowl remains thoroughly dry whereby corrosion is effectively reduced.

Another advantageous feature of the invention is that the bowl remains relatively cool at all times so that it may-be used continuously as desired.

These and other objects will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing an incinerator type urinal embodying the invention as seen from the top, front, and an adjacent side thereof.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional elevational view taken on a median line.

FIGURE 3 is an electrical diagram.

top of the combustion chamber 15. As shown, the lower end portion of said drain tube 14 terminates above the top of the combustion chamber 15 and is received in the upper end portion of said last mentioned tubular member 21, in radially spaced relation thereto.

The numeral 22 designates an oxidation catalyst which is provided in the combustion chamber 15 adjacent the vent pipe 19 to promote more efiicient combustion and to reduce odors. A suitable catalyst for the purpose described is manufactured by Oxycat, Inc., Wayne, Pa.

The interior of the bowl 12 advantageously may be.

coated with a material such as Teflon, manufactured by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Delaware, to prevent materials from adhering thereto.

Referring now to FIGURE 3, contacts 23, 24 connect opposite ends of the .heating element 16 witha source of power. The circuit making such connection includes a momentary switch 31 near the second said contact 24, and which momentary switch is preferably a push button on top of the upstanding bowl 12. 'The coil 26 of a double pole holding relay 25 is also connected with the contacts 23, 24 and which connection includes the momentary switch 31. One of the contacts 27 of the relay 25 is connected in series with thermo stats 29, 30 which are connected with the same end of the heater 16 as the second source contact 24. The second contact 28 of the relay 25 is positioned, on the one :hand, for contact with a circuit parallel with the heater 16 and including the blower 20. On the other hand, the second contact 28 of the relay 25 is positioned for contact with a normally open thermostat 32 connected between the blower 20 and the second said source contact 24'through the relay contact 28. One of the two normally closed thermostats 30 opens at a higher temperature than the other 29 and thus serves as a safety switch, for example, in the event the relay contact 27 should weld. Closing the momentary switch one of the normally closed thermostats 29 to open and which action releases the relay 25, but in the meantime the normally open thermostat 32 has closed and, through the relay contact 28, the current is supplied to the blower 20 after the heater 16 is de-activated. When the normally open thermostat 32 cools, that contact opens and cuts off current to the blower 20.

In operation, the bowl 12 is used in a conventional manner and fluids collecting therein are positively caused to flow as they are drained therefrom, While at the same time being forcibly drawn into the combustion chamber 15, along with any fluids which may collect in the compartment 11 exteriorly of the combustion chamber 15, by differences in pressure above and below the opening 18. Any fluids, liquid or gaseous, which may collect in the bowl 12 are immediately and forcibly ejected therefrom, whereby they are disposed of, while at the same time the bowl 12 remains thoroughly dry whereby corrosion thereof is effectively prevented.

The bowl 12 is positioned above the combustion cham ber 15, in spaced apart relation thereto, and is removed from the path of the combustion gases generated therein, whereby the bowl 12 remains relatively cool at all times and whereby vaporization of liquids therein is substantially avoided. v

The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shown and described but may be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An incinerator type urinal comprising a casing having an enclosed compartment in the lower portion thereof and having an upstanding bowl, open on one side, above said compartment, the bowl having a downwardly sloping bottom of inverted cone shape forming the top of said compartment and having a short drain tube connected to the bottom of the bowl and forming a downward extension thereof, an insulated enclosed combustion chamber in the lower portion of said compartment, the combustion chamber being electrically heated and having a restricted opening in the top thereof surrounding said drain tube, said opening communicating with the interior of said compartment surrounding the combustion and having the lower end portion of said drain tube received therein and in radially spaced relation thereto, and a vent pipe having a blower therein con nected to the top of the combustion chamber and arranged to exhaust combustion gases, vapors, fumes and odors therefrom.

2. The structure of claim 1, the combustion chamber having a short tubular member immediately surrounding said opening and extending upwardly a short distance above the top of the combustion chamber, the lower end portion of said drain tube terminating above the top of the combustion chamber and being received in the upper end portion of said last mentioned tubular member.

3. The structure of claim 1, the bowl being positioned a substantial distance above the combustion chamber whereby fluids collecting therein are positively caused to flow by gravity in a confined stream, through said drain tube, as they are drained therefrom, while at the same time being forcibly drawn into the combustion chamber, along with any fluids which may collect in said compartment exteriorly of the combustion chamber, by differences in pressure above and below said opening.

4. The structure of claim 3, the arrangement being such that any fluids, liquid or gaseous, which may collect in the bowl are immediately and forcibly ejected therefrom, while at the same time the bowl remains thoroughly dry whereby corrosion thereof is effectively reduced.

5. The structure of claim 2, the bowl being positioned above the combustion chamber, in spaced apart relation thereto, and being removed from the path of the combustion gases generated therein, whereby the bowl remains relatively cool at all times, so' that it may be used continuously as desired, Without interruption, and whereby vaporization of liquids therein is substantially avoided.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,784,288 3/1957 Moran et al 2 19-519 2,866,067 12/1958 Dolan et a1. 219-5l9 2,903,709 9/ 1959 Blankenship et al 41-31 3,020,559 2/1962 Blankenship et a1 413l- 3,169,497 2/1965 Blankenship 4--l31 X FOREIGN PATENTS 210,723 8/1957 Australia.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN INCINERATOR TYPE URINAL COMPRISING A CASING HAVING AN ENCLOSED COMPARTMENT IN THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF AND HAVING AN UPSTANDING BOWL, OPEN ON ONE SIDE, ABOVE SAID COMPARTMENT, THE BOWL HAVING A DOWNWARDLY SLOPING BOTTOM OF INVERTED CONE SHAPE FORMING THE TOP OF SAID COMPARTMENT AND HAVING A SHORT DRAIN TUBE CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL AND FORMING A DOWNWARD EXTENSION THEREOF, AN INSULATED ENCLOSED COMBUSTION CHAMBER IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID COMPARTMENT, THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER BEING ELECTRICALLY HEATED AND HAVING A RESTRICTED OPENING IN THE TOP THEREOF SURROUNDING SAID DRAIN TUBE, SAID OPENING COMMUNICATING WITH 